By Eddie King
Staff Writer
A spoiled-rich playboy turned crime fighting bow-wielding vigilante. This is the premise of “Arrow,” the incredible and oftentimes mysterious story of billionaire Oliver Queen.
This television hit features the DC Comics character the Green Arrow as the protagonist of a crime series made for a modern audience.
The regularity of flashbacks broaden the perspective of the Green Arrow’s world, as does the engaging and constantly developing plot, which has aided “Arrow” in gaining its growing national audience. Frequent realistic action scenes coupled with intriguing characters also add to “Arrow’s” lasting appeal.
“Arrow” is a modern adaptation of the story of the Green Arrow, or Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a billionaire playboy who is stranded on an island for five years after a shipwreck.
The survival skills he learns on the island and the traumatic events he encounters transform his entire persona, leading him to pursue a mysterious agenda of crime fighting as a bow and arrow wielding vigilante.
During the current season of the series, the Green Arrow is initially hailed as a hero by the people of Starling City, after he successfully dispatches the main antagonist of season two, who almost eradicates the entire city. Although he becomes closer to the people of his city, those close to him begin to evolve and drift away.
All Oliver wishes to do now is fix his relationships with those closest to him and help them return to their normal lives. But trouble still has a way of finding him. After one of his best friends is killed, Oliver must face her killer, a powerful new enemy bent on destroying Oliver’s livelihood and that of those around him.
A major highlight of the series is its frequent use of flashbacks. They allow for plot expansion as past events are revealed, which has a significant impact on the actions of the present-day characters. These flashbacks also add a second dimension to the series, with two interconnected stories being told at once. They also are usually more intriguing than the present day storyline, giving “Arrow” more appeal than an average crime series.
Furthermore, the series possesses fully-developed characters. The multi-dimensional perspective “Arrow” has adopted through its regular use of flashbacks integrated into the original storyline allows the main characters to be explored in many unique ways.
Additionally, “Arrow” takes action to another level with intense and riveting fight scenes. These action scenes are impressive because of their unique use of the bow and arrow, going beyond the usual scope of fight scenes that are typically limited to a generic fist or gun fight.
This commitment to genuine action scenes also helps “Arrow” appeal to a larger audience that values action over the actual storyline itself.
One drawback of the series, however, is that some of the events that occur are unrealistic. Many times, the Green Arrow is able to dodge multiple bullets with ease while dispatching enemies with his bow.
Although the Arrow is better trained than most of his counterparts, killing eight armed men while only using a bow is a bit of a stretch. His unrealistic invincibility emulates most cliché action scenes involving superheroes, demonstrating a lack of ingenuity on the part of the producers.
Overall, “Arrow” is an excellent adaptation of the story of the Green Arrow that appeals to comic book junkies as well as a more modern audience of procedural crime show enthusiasts.
New episodes of “Arrow” air on CW every Wednesday at 8 p.m.
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